The research Unit mainly addresses factors necessary to create and
successfully implement policy to promote the human rights, dignity and general
health status of psychiatric patients. The Unit is involved in two multicentric
three-year EU projects: ITHACA, recently closed and HELPS, in its last stage.
Currently, the PHYSICO protocol is ongoing, it address the physical health of
mental patients and draws on the synergy between the South Verona Community
Mental Health Service and the Department of Prevention (Ulss20 Verona).,
resulting in the intervention program studied. Moreover, the Unit is
working on the Bio.Ve.D.A. project aiming to develop a register of
eating-disorders taking advantage of the fact that the Unit of Psychotherapy,
which hosts this Research Unit, has been appointed Regional Centre for Eating
Disorders. Finally, Self-Help II, now in the phase of processing data,
investigates the contribution of a large consumer self-help group, based in
Verona, to improve participation of mental patients in society at large

HELPS (European
Network for Promoting the Health of Residents in Psychiatric and Social Care
Institutions)
This project aims at the development of a framework of empowerment focusing on
the promotion of healthy living conditions in psychiatric care institutions and
on the improvement of the physical health status of institutional residents
with mental illness in the European Region. On the basis of this project staff
members and residents of mental health care institutions should be
enabled to identify routinely the most relevant physical health problems,
to detect adverse (and protective) health relevant lifestyles, to choose and
implement suitable health promoting strategies at the individual, the
organisational and the environmental level. For this purpose the methods
utilized are: international literature reviews; Delphi rounds with experts from
participating countries and focus groups.
The project will develop, as its principal output, a toolkit on physical health
promotion in mental health care settings which is suitable for application in a
wide range of mental health care institutions across Europe.

PHYSICO
(Physical co-morbidity, poor health behaviour and health promotion in South
Verona patients with functional psychoses: a prevalence study and a randomised
controlled Study)
The study includes two phases: the first phase aims at studying the prevalence
of physical co-morbidity and health behaviour in patients with identified
diagnoses in contact with the South-Verona Community Mental Health Service
(CMHS); the second phase aims at implementing health promotion strategies
related to dietary habits and physical exercise, and studying their efficacy
with a randomised controlled study. The first phase includes the gathering of
socio-demographic characteristics, physical conditions of interest and health
behaviours related to diet and exercise, vital parameters, body mass index,
measures of quality of life and satisfaction. Such information, associated with
routine lab test indicated for the screening of metabolic conditions, ECG, will
provide prevalence data to be compared with that of the general population.
Accurate manualisation will make the toolkit usable by personnel without
specific qualifications and available for dissemination.

BIOVEDA
(BIObanca VEneta per i Disturbi dell'Alimentazione)
The project general objective is to develope a recording and monitoring system
(RE.DI.AL., Register for Eating Disorders) of patients with eating disorders,
in the framework of the activities of the Centro di Riferimento Regionale per i
Disturbi del Comportamento Alimentare and in connection with a genetic biobank
(BIO.VE.D.A, Veneto Biobank for Eating Disorders). For this purpose, specific
objectives are: developing a basic evaluation form including all potentially
relevant data besides clinical information already avalaible from routine;
establishing a procedure to gather and preserve biological material, that
adheres to national and international guidelines for the formation and
accreditation of biobanks; lastly, the formation of a case register database,
including data from REDIAL and linked with the biobank..

SELF HELP II
The study aims to investigate the contribution of a large consumer self-help
group, based in Verona, to improve participation of mental patients in society
at large. Specifically the objectives are: to describe the frequency of users'
attendance to Self Help; to evaluate members' objectives; to evaluate the
efficacy of the psychosocial program in meeting members' expectations; and to
explore the possible role of the participation in the Self Help group regarding
social and clinical outcomes. The research is based on users' opinions collected
through a semi-structured interview and two more instruments, with the further
aim of improving patients' active role.